Scarred Hearts Never Break
by I hart Booth
Summary: Booth, Brennan and Parker are caught in the crossfire and lives hang in the balance. The aftermath of the shootout and how the three cope. Cowritten IhartBooth & Willgurl, BB!
1. Nobody's Bulletproof

**This is a co-written fic between me and Willgurl4. She wrote the even numbered chaps and I wrote the odd and we betaed in vice-versa. Just FYI. So, here's the first chap.**

"Daddy!" Parker wailed, his hands shaking as he clasped them over his ears. It was too loud. Deafening

"Parker! Just stay down!" Booth yelled over the noise. He crouched low near the window wanting desperately to protect his son, but unable to move across the room without risking being hit.

Gunfire ripped through the air, shattering the windows and Booth ducked to cover his head from the shards of flying glass.

The bombardment had started what seemed like hours ago, when Booth got up to turn off the movie Parker was watching before bed. And now here he was, who knows how long later, bullets whizzing by his ears as he fought to protect his home from an unknown threat.

The pillow beside Parker burst, fluff and feathers flying every which direction away from the bullet that had pierced it. The sound of his shrill cry made Booth's neck hair stand on end.

Frightened, Parker started to get up, wanting nothing more than to be safe in his father's arms.

"No Parker stay down!" Booth motioned to Parker to stay down, before he quickly leaned up and fired a few rounds out into the darkness.

"But Daddy!" His voice wavered and he stood, entirely visible and out in the open, frozen with confusion.

Booth was about to yell to him again when his son was suddenly pulled back to the floor and relief washed over him when as Brennan, whom Booth had thought was unconscious, pulled Parker to safety near the opposite wall.

His relief turned to bone chilling fear though, when he saw the blood rapidly staining her shirt and skin.

**Muh ha ha ha. Cliffees. Me LOVE cliffees.**


	2. Perfection

**Written by Willgurl4 who writes: **

**Welcome to the second chapter! I would like to thank my co-author Hart for fixing all my weird mistakes! MMB! I hope you enjoy!**

---One week earlier---

Booth watched as she absently pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She often did this when she was studying something intently as she was doing now. The sun shone down brightly, causing her wavy auburn tresses to shine. The blue bikini she wore matched the colour of her eyes perfectly, as did the wrap she was wearing around her waist. He had to laugh when she pulled out that huge sunhat earlier, explaining that she had to 'protect herself from the threat of skin cancer and Malignant Melanoma'. But now, his breath hitched as he stared at her, thinking for the thousandth time how lucky he was.

She was beautiful and he loved her.

Not that he told her that. They were taking it slow, it had only been three weeks earlier when he had gathered up enough courage to tell her how he felt and to ask her out on a date. Her reaction was quite unexpected, she just smiled warmly and said 'yes'. He had expected her to freak out, but it was like she already knew.

One could argue that after Sully left, things changed between them. But he couldn't remember a time when things weren't changing between them. Theirs was a relationship that was constantly evolving.

Evolving indeed. He thought to himself as he looked over at her. He did love her, all of her quirks and oddities. It was cute that she was clueless when it came to pop culture, there was just no time in her world to remember who George Clooney was. She had no filter, rarely thought before she spoke and even if she did, she would probably say it anyway. He had been inadvertently insulted by her numerous times, but he knew that it was more her curious mind then her intention to hurt. She loved to argue, always had to be right and _everything_ was an anthropological imperative. She was strong in her opinions and always stood up for what she believed, never bending to suit a need.

She was a fighter, and not just because of her martial arts skills. Her past dictated this survival instinct that she carried within her and although she was a strong woman, he had seen the other side too. The vulnerable part of her that thought everyone she got close to would leave. He had decided long ago, that he would prove her wrong in this respect, he would always be there for her.

He loved how intense she was when it came to finding the truth and giving victims justice. On days when he felt his job was too much, he just thought about her, always working, never giving up until she had the answers she needed.

But Booth never loved her more than he did right now, when she was with his son.

This was their first outing together since they started dating and he knew she was nervous. Of course she had spent time with Parker before but this was different. They were dating now, so she was going to be in Parker's life a lot more. This was especially true since he got joint custody of Parker several months ago.

Rebecca had come to realize that Parker needed his father and although Drew was a good role model, he was no substitute for the real thing. So she had surprised him one day, turning up at his office and handing over papers that would allow him joint custody of Parker. Now he got to see his son a few nights a week and every other weekend. It was the best thing Rebecca ever could have done for him.

He watched as Parker scampered to the water's edge and grabbed another shell, holding it out to her to examine. Her mouth was moving and although he could not make out the words, he knew she was telling his son some scientific fact about seashells.

It looked like Parker didn't care though, he was hanging off of her every word. When he came running up to her asking for her help in finding shells, she glanced at him apprehensively. Booth let them go, content to watch the woman he loved slowly become more and more comfortable with his son.

"Daddy!" Parker said, running up to him. "Look what Dr. Bones and I found!" Parker held out his hands and showed him all of the various shells, stones and beach glass that they had found. "Can I take it home?"

"Well not all of it bud." He replied. "But why don't you pick out a few that you like the best."

"Okay." Parker said, dumping them out on the blanket.

He got up and strode towards Brennan, who was dipping her toes in the ocean.

"Turning him into a squint are we?" he asked, slipping his hand around her waist.

"I am not!" she protested. "And even if I was…" She was cut off by his lips on hers, their kisses always leaving them both with a distinct lack of oxygen. Sometimes just the thought of kissing could make them breathless and weak in the knees.

"So.." he said once he pulled away. "Having a good day?"

She glanced quickly towards Parker. "Yes I am." She replied.

"Good." He flashed her a charm smile. "Then you won't mind if I do this." In an instant he had scooped her up and stepped into the ocean.

"Booth? Booth, don't you dare!" she shouted.

He laughed and glanced back at Parker, who had now abandoned his shells and was running towards them.

"What do you think Parker?" he asked. "Should I throw her in?"

"Yeah, Daddy!" Parker said, now ankle deep in the salty water.

She was kicking her legs furiously but he ignored them as he moved further out and gave her a devilish grin before heaving her into the water. Unfortunately she refused to let go and he found himself crashing down with her.

They emerged from the water a moment later, still tangled up in each other.

"I could kill you!" Brennan wiped the water from her eyes with the back of her hand and scowled at Booth, who wore a grin that would put most mischievous ten-year-olds to shame.

"You do that and I'll have to arrest you."

Brennan paused, dipping her chin slightly and moved closer to him, water lapping up against their chests.

"Would you use cuffs?"

The low husky tone of her voice did things to Booth, things that made him turn twelve shades of red and thank the Lord above for the waist high water.

"Would you like that?" He answered slowly, his own eyes darkening with desire, wishing the beach were just a bit more private and, he glanced at Parker, childfree.

Brennan's sexy smile turned to a full-blown grin and before Booth knew what was happening, she lunged at him, pushing him down and dunking his head completely under the water.

Parker stood on the shore, laughing hysterically.

"Oh you think that's funny do you?" he growled as he ran out of the water, scooped up his son and carried him into the water. Parker giggled as he dunked him under.

They splashed around in the water for another hour, playing games and seeing who could hold their breath the longest and swim the fastest.

Finally, the sun started to go down and it was time to leave the beach. As they packed up the picnic basket and their other things, Booth could see Parker was starting to yawn. He knew the boy would be asleep once they got to the car. This would give him and Bones time to talk, something they hadn't been able to do all day.

He buckled Parker into his seat and then they were off. Everyone was quiet for a moment as he navigated his way out of the beach area and back onto the highway. He turned to say something to her and smiled as he realized that like Parker, she was sound asleep.

There had been no cases today, no dead bodies or talk of work. Nothing had gone wrong, everything was perfect.

_Yes_. He thought to himself. _My life is perfect_.


	3. Is it Safe Now?

**_Many of you had questions from the first chap...so we threw in a flashback just to let the tension build. lol. But okay, on with the story. -Twinkle _**

Booth's breathing was steady and forced even after the last gunshot had sounded off. He crouched below the window on high alert, waiting for more rounds that never came.

Slowly outside sounds worked their way into his consciousness. He was no longer deaf because of blood rushing in his ears and he blinked, unaware that he hadn't done so in some time. The hard line of determination disintegrated from his lips and he lowered his weapon. Parker's whimper brought Booth the civilian back to reality, and pushed Booth the Ranger back below the surface.

"Dr. Bones?" A small voice whispered.

Booth turned to see Parker kneeling over Brennan's body. She lay half propped up against the wall as she fought to stay conscious.

"Park'r…go." She sputtered. Her vision was getting darker and, while on one hand she knew she'd lost a lot of blood and shouldn't sleep, the prospect sounded extremely appealing.

She also knew Parker shouldn't see her like this, she needed him to leave.

"Dr. Bones are you okay?" His bright brown eyes wouldn't stop staring at the darkening stain on her shirt, he thought maybe that stuff shouldn't be coming out and pushed his hand on it. It was warm and sticky, bubbling against his soft skin and he pulled away. He cried out when he realized what that substance was.

"Daddy! Dr. Bones is hurt she's bleeding real bad!" His high pitched terrified voice filled the silence left by the gunfire and his small hand started to tremble as the adrenalin returned.

"Parker." Booth dropped his gun and flew to the other side of the room, sweeping Parker up off the floor. He hugged his son for a moment before he remembered the boy might be hurt.

Intentionally placing the boy with his back to Bones, he quickly surveyed his body.

"Parker are you hurt? Do you have any owies I need to see?" Parker didn't respond right away and Booth looked up. The boy's wide brown eyes were dilated and his mouth slightly agape, Brennan's blood drying on his hand.

"I…I…" Booth caught his chin as he attempted again to turn and look at Brennan, who was barely coherent enough to recognize the sound of sirens in the distance.

"Parker?"

Suddenly Parker's eyes filled with tears, his face breaking apart as the fear from the last few minutes suddenly hit him full force, shock having worn off. A moment of silence passed before his first heart wrenching wail and Booth clutched him to his chest, one hand on the back of his head, the other on his back.

"Parker. You're okay buddy, I'm right here." Booth whispered. With Parker pressed to him he could feel both their hearts pounding with unbelievable speed and strength. He also had an unhindered view of Brennan.

Parker gasped and his tears continued, he hadn't cried this hard since he slammed his finger in the car door last year.

Picking his son up, Booth felt Parker wrap his legs around his waist and press his wet face into his neck. Being sure to keep Parker facing the other direction, Booth scooted over next to Brennan and reached out to apply pressure to her wound.

"Please Bones. Please stay with me." He said quietly, focusing on Brennan's cloudy eyes.

Through the paper-thin apartment walls Booth could hear the paramedics in the hall and neighbors directing them inside his apartment.

"Just a few more minutes Bones. You'll be okay. Just hold on for me, please Babe." Booth said, a note of panic in his voice.

The paramedics burst in the door and swarmed him, one yanking Parker away; the other's pushing him off Brennan so they could examine her wound.

"Daddy!!" Parker squeaked. He hadn't seen all these people come in and he wasn't ready to leave the protection of his father's arms.

_Too many too many!_ His four-year-old mind screamed that it was in overload and he started to panic.

"Stop it stop it! Daddy help!"

Booth looked over and saw Parker being held in place by two determined looking EMTs, small fists and Spiderman sneakers flying every-which way in their faces.

He had never seen a look of panic on his son's face, and he hoped to never see it again. Instantly he was on the strangers, pulling their hands off his son so he could hold him, talk to him, anything to make him feel safe again. If he would ever feel safe again.

"Leave him alone." Booth barked as the EMTs advanced again. Parker clutched tighter to his neck and trembled. Booth rubbed his back and gave the men a death glare.

"Check for other casualties in the apartments above and below and take care of her." He ordered, nodding to Brennan who was now in a neck-brace and being loaded onto a stretcher.

"But sir…"

"He hasn't got any broken bones and he's not bleeding. I'll take him down to the ambulance. You. Don't. Touch him."

The look on the man's face was enough to convince the frantic paramedics that arguing was a bad, possibly fatal idea. They nodded, proceeding almost exactly as Booth instructed.

"Bones. Temperance can you hear me?" Booth approached the stretcher as she was wheeled from the apartment and into the elevator. He ignored the shouting and crying from his neighbors and the anxious orders from the paramedics on the scene, focusing only on her.

Her eyes were closed and an oxygen mask obstructed most of her face, but even then he could see she was in pain.

A blue light flashed against his eyes and he blinked, a bit surprised to find himself outside on the front lawn, police cars and ambulances lining the street on both sides.

Parker trembled again and Booth hugged both his large arms around him, almost absently whispering reassuring words as he attempted to orient himself. It seemed as though only ten or fifteen minutes had passed since the whole thing began, and yet his street was crawling with emergency personnel as if it had been hours ago. He was sure it wouldn't be long before the news crews started showing up.

"Hey Joe! Take the red tags to the hospital first and come back for yellow and green."

Booth looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in a blue windbreaker with EMS in bold letters on the back motioning toward a man near an ambulance who was nodding in return. He glanced down and saw a green bracelet around his wrist, without taking the time to wonder when he got it he pulled around one of Parker's hand and found another green tag.

_Bones_. His mind was pulled out of the chaos and he searched the moving mass for Brennan's stretcher. Sure enough, she was being loaded into the back of a nearby ambulance, a bright red bracelet on her wrist.

Booth started running toward her and Parker's grip tightened to the point of near strangulation.

"Bones! Temperance." He couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Her name was all he knew.

"I'm sorry sir, there's not enough room for the both of you, and you're both green. We'll come back."

Booth didn't even acknowledge the EMT as he climbed into the back of the truck and finished strapping in Brennan's gurney.

"Bones." He choked out; blinking back tears he simply would not allow himself to shed.

"Booth." Came the soft reply. So soft he may have imagined it.

The doors slammed shut.

Holding Parker close, Booth walked out into the street and watched Brennan's ambulance disappear from sight. It's sirens wailed and the bright lights flashed, further disturbing the calm of the warm summer night.

- - - - - -

Special Agent Travis Ferguson stepped out of his SUV and buttoned his jacket. The scene before him wasn't a new one in most ways.

_Ambulances. Check. Uptight paramedics. Check. Hysterical neighbors. Check. Local PD, on my turf per usual. Check._

Then his green eyes landed on the one thing that made this crime scene different, more important, than all the other dozens of crime scenes he saw every week.

_Friend clutching his scared little boy. Double check._

**_Now you've read, so if you feels so inclined, feel free to review. Thanks!!_**


	4. He Needs Me, I Need Her

**Willgurl Writes: Thanks to the wonderful reviewers, you guys are being awesome and supportive and Hart and I are SO glad you're enjoying the story!**

"Seeley?" Travis asked. "Seeley?"

His head whipped around and he saw Travis striding towards him, a look of concern etched on his face.

Immediately he snapped into FBI Agent mode.

"Travis." He stated. "The shooter was most likely across the street on the roof. He would have had the best vantage point there."

"Booth." Travis said, trying to interrupt. His dark green eyes searched Booth's brown ones perceptively darting between Booth, Parker and the surrounding chaos, trying not to push his friend over the edge he was balancing near so precariously.

"He must not of expected me to fire back but I felt there was no other option." He continued. "This shifted the shooter's focus from the other apartment buildings to me."

"Booth…" Travis repeated.

"Unfortunately I didn't get a view of the shooter, however…"

"Seeley!" Travis said loudly. "Are you okay, lad?"

He flicked his glance down his son huddled in his arms. "We're okay."

"Good." Travis said, clapping him on the back. "Now we should..."

"Daddy?" Parker said, lifting his head up. His face was red and stained with tears and his body trembled slightly. His round brown eyes stared up at his father pleadingly. "Where's Dr. Bones?"

"Dr. Bones?" Travis inquired, raising his eyebrows almost to where his bright orange hair began atop his head.

"My partner…she was…she was in the apartment with us." He said quietly. "They took her away already."

Travis saw the look of a man desperately trying to hold himself together in Booth's eyes.

"Okay." Travis said turning away. "You." He shouted towards an EMT. "Come here."

The EMT came running up. "Yes?"

"Are you done loading the reds?" Travis asked.

"We are loading the last one right now." The EMT replied.

"Right." Travis said firmly. "These two are the first to go when the ambulance comes back, got it?"

"Umm… I really can't do that." The EMT replied.

"Yes you can." Travis narrowed his eyes until only the tiniest bit of green could be seen, the look made the EMT shiver. "My name is Special Agent Travis Ferguson, I am with the FBI. You will load these two next, got it?"

The EMT nodded and moved away.

"Go, wait over there for the ambulance." Travis said, gesturing to the end of the lawn.

"Thanks, Travis." He said.

"No problem Seeley-boy." Travis replied. "Right, go find your partner then. Cheers." Travis gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before moving away to take care of the 'incompetent fools asking all the idiotic questions'. Otherwise known as, the media.

Booth nodded and moved away, shifting his son in his arms.

"We are going to find Bones okay?" He said to Parker.

"Is she okay Daddy?" Parker said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know, bub." He replied honestly. "I don't know."

He stood at the edge of the lawn, his arms starting to ache from the weight of Parker. He could feel him trembling but was powerless to stop it, didn't know what to do to make his son better. He wished he could go back in time and erase what happened. They should have gone to the park, or gone for a walk, been at the lab, anything but in that apartment.

He bent his head and pressed his face against Parker's curls. Parker shouldn't have seen that, it was his job to protect him. He should have….he didn't know what he should have done, all he knew was that his little boy scared to death and he had no idea what to do about it.

Booth's thoughts drifted to Temperance. Her eyes, her smile, the way she tilted her head when she was curious about something. Then he saw the blood on her shirt, her eyes rolled back into her head and he fought down the rising bile in his throat.

He needed her.

Right then, right at that instant he needed her to put her arms around him. To make it better like she did when he woke up sweating in the middle of the night, unable to distinguish the past from the present.

And more than anything, he needed her to be alright.

He looked up and saw the ambulance pull up in front of him.

"Right this way sir." The EMT said, gesturing towards the doors of the ambulance. As he climbed in, one of the paramedics tried to lift Parker from his arms.

"No!" he said sharply. "He's terrified, he needs to stay with me. He was already looked at."

"I understand sir." The paramedic nodded. "But I do need to check out his injuries as well as yours. Perhaps you could lie him down but hold his hand."

He nodded and reluctantly lay Parker down on the gurney, his small arms still clinging to his neck.

"Hey buddy, let go okay?" He said gently. "She is just going to check to make sure you're not hurt. I will be right here the whole time."

Finally Parker released him, biting his bottom lip to keep it from trembling while the paramedic did a quick check for injuries. Both ignored her when she attempted quiet conversation to put them at ease, and eventually she stopped.

"Okay just a few cuts and bruises, that's all." She said a couple minutes later.

Booth released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"I should check you out as well." The paramedic said, looking him over. He watched as she performed a cursory examination, wincing as she hit a couple of tender spots. Her hands trailed down to his waist and she pulled up his t-shirt.

"You were grazed by a bullet." She said calmly, reaching for the bandages.

Booth looked down, astonished. He hadn't even felt it at the time and yet now his side was throbbing. He watched as the paramedic cleaned and bandaged the wound, blinking back the tears in his eyes. It had been too close this time.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, Parker's sweaty hands clutching his so hard they were turning slightly red. When they pulled up in front of the hospital, the driver got out and opened the back doors.

Booth scooped up Parker and headed inside.

"Excuse me?" He said at the front desk. Nurses and doctors were popping in and out, flipping through charts , not paying attention to him.

"Excuse me?" He repeated loudly.

"Can I help you?" A man with a flip chart in his hands asked.

"Yes, I am looking for Temperance Brennan." He said. "She came in a while ago. She was shot and…" he found himself unable to continue. The image of her blood seeping on to the floors of his apartment was replaying over and over in his head.

"I'm sorry, you are going to have to wait over there." The man replied.

"Listen buddy, I am FBI now where is she?" he said sharply, voice rising in anger.

Parker whimpered and tightened his grip on Booth's neck, who in response gripped his small son even closer to him, mentally kicking himself for scaring the already terrified child.

"Try the third floor." The man replied and he headed quickly towards the elevators. Booth knew that once he got to the third floor, he was going to have to repeat himself all over again. He would have to fight to see her, they weren't related and he knew it wasn't hospital policy to let non-family members in, but he didn't care. He was ready to pick a fight if needed.

Once on the third floor he headed for the desk.

"Excuse me, my name is Special Agent Seeley Booth. I am with the FBI. My partner was brought in here earlier and I need to see her. Her name is Dr. Temperance Brennan." He said.

As he said her name, a doctor at the end of the hallway snapped his head up. As the doctor moved towards him Booth saw a look in his eyes, the doctor had something to tell him. Something he knew that if he had all the time in the world, he still wouldn't be ready to hear.


	5. In The Absence of Logic, Use Your Gut

**Here is Ch. 5, thanks for being so patient with the updates, end of the school year is kinda hectic. But today was my last day, so I'm honoring it with an update. Thanks again for all the fabulous reviews!!**

"Did you say you're looking for Temperance Brennan?" The doctor tucked one hand into his lab coat and gave Booth an intense stare.

Booth nodded, stroking Parker's hair when he heard him start snoring lightly in his ear. "Yes. Where is she? Can I see her?"

"She's getting emergency medical attention right now Mr. Booth, we need a decision from you about whether or not to proceed with surgery. The most likely result of…"

"Wait, what do you mean you need a decision?" Booth unconsciously shifted Parker again, his biceps were beginning to burn under the weight of the child and the throbbing in his side from his GSW was becoming impossible to ignore.

Noting Booth's discomfort, the doctor motioned toward some nearby chairs.

"Mr. Booth," he began again slowly, as Booth closed his eyes to the relief sitting brought him. Parker leaned back on his chest.

"Are you aware that you are Dr. Brennan's emergency contact and Patient Advocate?"

Booth frowned and started to shake his head, then suddenly he remembered a conversation with Brennan at Wong Fu's nearly a month and a half before.

_"Hey Booth?" Brennan pushed her noodles around her bowl, not making any attempt to eat them._

_"Man. Good pie." Came the muffled response. "Good pie Sid." He called toward the kitchen._

_Brennan was undeterred by his seeming disinterest._

_"Booth don't you think it's illogical to have an Emergency Contact who is 500 miles away?"_

_He nodded and glanced at her, offering a sip of his coffee, which she declined._

_"And since all my contacts are in Ohio…it's logical that there should be someone a bit closer now." She was being vague and she knew it. She couldn't just come right out and ask him…what if he said no?_

_"What's your point Bones?" Booth polished off his pie and wiped his mouth, turning to look at her for the first time._

_"I just…" she shrugged and turned to give him that coy smile, "I just wanted to know if you agreed. That it was illogical, I mean."_

_"Yeah sure…okay Bones. Illogical. Now, let me buy you some pie."_

Booth sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

"Yeah I knew. I didn't…but I did so, yeah." He ran one hand down his face taking a deep breath. "Why? Are there some forms I need to fill out or…what?" He opened his eyes, revealing to the doctor a man in serious need of sleep.

The doctor shook his head.

"Mr. Booth," he sat forward, commanding Booth's full attention, "Dr. Brennan was shot, the bullet is currently lodged in some of the fatty tissue around her liver. We have two options. The first is to have surgery and remove the bullet. Because the bullet is situated so near her liver, it would be a complicated, high-risk procedure. There is a definite possibility of damage to the stomach, liver or intestine, leading to massive internal bleeding."

He waited until Booth blinked and focused on him once again before speaking, this time in a softer but confident tone, "The other option is to go with a liver transplant. Since Dr. Brennan has a rare blood type, this decreases the chances of finding a match as well as increases the possibility of liver rejection. It may take a while to find a match for her, which will only prolong her situation and possibly cause her liver to shut down." He finished quietly, well aware of the fact that a majority of the color had drained from Booth's face. He held his pager at ready.

Booth's mouth was dry and he stared past the doctor down the hall, trying to focus on what the man was saying. Wishing he had been more alert before the shooting started. Hating that so many had been hurt. Wanting to know why it happened and needing an answer to the question he was about to be asked.

"Mr. Booth? What do you want to do?"

Booth took a deep breath to prevent his chest from caving in on him. He closed his eyes.

_I shouldn't have to do this. She shouldn't be here. This shouldn't be happening…_

"Mr. Booth, I know this is difficult, but we need an answer now."

He nodded, but didn't open his eyes. For the first time in his life he wished he had just a shred of Brennan's logic so he could know what to do. What would Brennan want him to do…what was the right thing to do?

"Mr. Booth." The doctor repeated.

_In the absence of logic…go with what feels right._

"Mr…"

"Do the surgery."

- - - - -

Booth paced the waiting room at 4am. Two hours had passed since the doctors got his go-ahead for the surgery. He'd called Angela, who was with Hodgins in Aspen and wouldn't be able to get back until 3pm the next day. A kind nurse had brought a pillow and blanket for Parker a while ago, and the boy was now curled up on the brown pleather couch near the wall.

"Seeley."

Booth turned and saw Travis striding toward him from the doorway. His barely 'regulation length' hair was pushed back and a mess as usual, his face scruffy as if he'd gone a day or two without shaving, which was how he always looked. His plain black tie, loosened to the point of being nothing more than a nuisance around his neck, swung as he walked.

"Hey Travis, how's the investigation going? Got anything?" He took the cup of coffee held out to him and sipped it gratefully.

Travis waited until Booth had drunk nearly half his cup and regained some semblance of coherence in his eyes before answering. Not that he said much that was any help to Booth.

"Don' you worry 'bout the investigation." Travis slung his arm over Booth's shoulders and guided him back over to the chairs next to Parker. "I'm handling it."

Booth started to protest. He knew Travis was a good investigator and he knew the Forensics teams were the best on the East Coast…but he still wanted an update.

"Ferguson…"

"Booth." Travis imitated Booth's low determined tone and matched him glare for glare. But Travis had a full stomach and a good nights sleep, so the intense stare down was brief and Booth conceded, albeit grudgingly. He turned away and looked at the floor, the distant look returning to his eyes.

Travis' perceptive, piercing green eyes studied Seeley for a moment. He looked tired, worn out and worried sick. His usually well-kept over-gelled hair was disheveled all over his head, his jaw clenching with nerves.

_He looks like shyte._

Travis turned and put his elbows on his knees, mimicking Booth's posture as they sipped their coffee quietly, his white socks peeking out from under black slacks and black dress shoes.

Travis knew Seeley really wasn't the talking kind and to be honest, in a situation like this he wouldn't be either. So he sat, and he waited with Booth. Waiting, if for nothing else, for something to change.

"You see the bird on the way in here?" Travis piped up after a few moments of silence.

Booth blinked.

"What?" He turned and saw a telling half smile on his companion's freckled cheeks.

"You mean the blonde at the desk out front? What, you like her?" For a moment Booth wasn't in the middle of his own personal Hell and he lapsed back into an easy, familiar camaraderie with his friend.

A sly smile slid across Travis' eyes and he grinned to match them.

"Like her? I haven't seen such a fine pair a knockers since I left California."

Booth half grinned and turned away shaking his head.

"What? Don't you agree Seeley-boy?"

"I didn't say that…you know you don't have a chance with her though, right?"

"And why not?" He straightened one arm, pushing on his knee so he could lean back and look at Booth.

"She's way out of your league man."

Travis rolled her eyes. "Right, and I s'pose she's in yours then."

Booth raised one eyebrow and shrugged, his smile fading.

"If I wanted her." He said quietly.

Travis narrowed his eyes. "But you don'?"

Booth pursed his lips and shook his head, knowing where the conversation was about to go.

Travis sensed that Booth had clammed up and gotten tense, he was beginning to wonder…

"You're partner?" Booth's eyes snapped over to him. "She's more than your partner, isn't she?"

Booth licked his dry lips and sat back, running a hand over his face.

"Yeah. Much more."

Travis bit the inside of his cheek before he finished off his coffee.

"I'm sorry."

Booth nodded and turned to continue staring at the door, waiting for a man in a white lab coat to appear.

"Yeah. Me too."

**Please note that neither I nor Willgurl have any medical knowledge whatsoever and we hope you can forgive any inaccuracies. Thanks!**


	6. Nightmares

**Willgurl writes: Thank you SO much reviewers, you guys are SO awesome, you made my WHOLE day!!!**

It started off as a tiny tremble. So tiny in fact that Booth, who was in conversation with Travis, didn't even notice. But then his body began to shake a little bit more. His eyelids twitched in his sleep and a frown marred his face. He began to shake even harder and Booth looked over.

"Parker?" he said, shaking him gently. "Bub, wake up."

He was in the park. The sun was shining so brightly that he had to cup his hands around his face to block it. He could hear birds chirping in the distance, but something was wrong. He was all alone.

There were no kids or parents any where. The swings near the playground squeaked as they moved back and forth slightly, propelled by the slight breeze in the air. Except for the birds it was silent.

"Daddy?" Parker said, looking around. "Dr. Bones?"

He walked farther into the park, straining his neck to try to find one of them. Daddy always told him never to go anywhere by himself. He kept walking, his hands stuffed into his jeans pockets for warmth. His body shivered with cold and as he looked around, he still couldn't see them. He wanted his Daddy. His Daddy would hug him and make it all better. Dr. Bones was good at hugs too, even though she didn't hug a lot of people.

"Daddy?" he said plaintively.

But there was no answer. He started to get scared and his stomach did flip flops. The sun had gone now, there were big, dark clouds in the sky and rain was quickly approaching.

"Dr. Bones?" he shouted. All he could hear was the echoing of his own voice.

The ground squelched under his feet and he looked down and saw his shoes were covered in red. Blood. His lip trembled as the first tear rolled down his cheek.

"Daddy. Please Daddy where are you?" He cried.

He saw a figure emerge from the trees in the distance.

"Daddy!" He shouted, running towards him.

But when he got closer, he saw that it wasn't Daddy at all. It was a bad man. And the bad man had no face. Parker backed up a few steps and watched as the man pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. He started running furiously but tripped over a root and fell to the ground.

"Daddy." He cried, tears running down his face as the bad man got closer and closer. He crawled backwards on his hands but they slipped in the blood that was flowing across the ground.

"Daddy!" he screamed.

"Parker! Parker!" Booth said, trying to shake Parker awake. He was flailing around, kicking and yelling so hard that both him and Travis had to hold him in place so he wouldn't fall off of the plastic chair. Nurses had come running over but he had yelled at them to stop and they were relegated to standing and watching as he tried to wake his son from this horrible nightmare.

"Parker!" he shouted once more and Parker's eyes shot open.

"Daddy!" He wailed, launching himself into Booth's arms. Booth felt tears roll down his face as he clutched his son, rocking him back and forth. His heart was pounding out of his chest, he didn't think that he could feel that scared again without falling apart.

Parker was sobbing into his shoulder so hard that Booth was afraid he might pass out.

"Ssshh, buddy I'm here." He said into Parker's ear. "I'm here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It started off as a tiny tremble. So tiny, in fact that the doctors who were operating didn't even notice. The continued to open her up as her eyelids flickered gently.

She looked over at the bones on her table. Something was wrong with them, she wasn't sure what though. She walked around the table and picked up the femur, examining it for possible cause of death.

"Zach could you…" she started.

"No Dr. Brennan." Zach replied calmly.

She spun around and saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs, a blank look on his face.

"Look I really need you to…" she trailed off as she saw the blood pool at Zach's feet. It got larger and larger until it seemed to spread throughout the floors of the Jeffersonian. She looked up to see Zach's face wearing away, like it was being pulled apart by an invisible force. First the dermis, then the muscles then finally the bone, turning into sand on the floor.

"No Zach!" She shouted, trying to move forward to save her friend. But her feet were stuck to the ground, she could do nothing but watch as Zach faded away in front of her.

Then Cam, then Angela and Hodgins, until it was only Booth standing before her. Tears slipped down her face and she tried to call his name but she couldn't. She felt fluids bubbling up in her throat and as she cupped her hand over her mouth, blood gushed out, through her fingers and onto the floor.

There was blood everywhere.

She shook her head violently and tried to push herself forward to reach Booth. If she could only reach Booth before he faded away. Then it would be alright. He made everything alright.

But she couldn't. She couldn't save him, couldn't save herself. She reached out her hands to him and saw her own skin being whittled away and her powerless to stop it.

"Booth." She choked out.

But he didn't hear, only continued to fade away from her, slowly and painfully.

"BOOTH! Booth!" She screamed as he turned to sand in front of her. "No! No! Please no!" Tears ran down her cheeks as her body shook with fear.

"BOOTH!"

"She's seizing!" One of the doctors shouted.

"We've got a bleeder here." Another shouted. "I can't get it under control. She's going into shock."


	7. LadyKillers

**Thanks for all the terrific reviews! **

---Ten Years Earlier---

Booth walked into the smoky establishment and rolled his shoulders, the stress from the day still heavy on them. He slowly made his way to the bar, too tired to make comments to the dozens of people that kept bumping into him in their drunken stupor.

He sat down at the counter, tossing his coat onto a nearby stool.

"I hope you're a fast drinker, we close in half an hour."

Booth looked up at a pretty brunette woman drying glasses behind the counter. He scowled, not really in the mood for teasing.

"Shot of Jack." He muttered, leaning his head on his hand.

The woman raised her eyebrows and they disappeared beneath her long bangs.

"Straight?"

"Straight."

She nodded and reached around for the Jack Daniels, her long swimmer's torso in full flex. Booth tilted his head when her shirt rode up and he spotted a tattoo of a fallen angel on her lower back. Immediately followed by a desire to see the rest of her tattoos and anything else she might be hiding under that skin-tight brown tee. A small smirk appeared on his lips.

_Maybe the night doesn't have to be a total waste._

He looked up at her when she returned with his drink and he saw his opportunity.

"Here you go, straight shot of Jack." She placed the glass in front of him and smiled. Booth caught her wrist gently.

"What are you…"

Leaning forward, he reached his free hand toward her face.

"You've got a…" He glanced at her eyes to see if she was about to slap him, upon seeing the brown pools were open, save a bit of suspicion, he smiled and pulled the piece of fuzz from her hair.

"Fuzz." He showed it to her and shrugged, immediately releasing her hand but staying just inside her personal space.

Glancing down at the white spec, and then again at Booth, the woman tilted her head to the side.

"What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't, but it's Seeley."

"Seeley." She nodded, "That's an unusual name, I'm Chavon."

Booth smiled and sat back on his stool, sipping his Jack. He sighed in satisfaction.

"Now that hits the spot." His eyes danced and he turned to her.

"It's a rare talent. Hitting the spot." He smiled mischeiviously before taking another sip, his eyes placed firmly on her.

Chavon's smile spread a bit and she tilted her head to study him.

"Are you coming on to me?"

Booth took a long gulp on his drink and watched her eyes as they sparkled under the dim lights in the bar. He could see in them the way the rest of his night could go. Waiting after the bar closed and taking her home, losing himself with her in a heated, passionate, perfect night. A perfect night in a perfect world where paperwork completed itself and serial killers never got away.

"Why would I do that? You're at work, it wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, I know female bartenders have a lot of trouble with getting hit on by drunken fools who don't know better. It must drive you crazy." He stirred the ice in his glass and waited for her response.

"Actually this is my brother's bar, I'm filling in while he's on vacation. I'm a CPA. I don't really get out much."

Booth shook his head. "You're lying."

Chavon looked confused and then angry. "What do you mean?"

Booth looked up, turning on a full charm smile. "Nobody as pretty as you is a CPA."

Booth could have sworn he saw her blush and was about to move in for the kill…when he heard it.

"Seeley-boy! Imagine meetin' you hear."

Booth closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

_Why? Today of all days, why?_

Travis plopped himself down on the stool beside Booth and, knowingly or unknowingly, broke the connection the man had just made with the bartenderess.

"Agent Ferguson, what are you doing here?" Booth asked tersely.

Travis' grin broadened and he clapped Booth on the shoulder.

"Seeley, how long have you known me?"

"Two weeks." _Two agonizing weeks_.

"Yes, two weeks and in all that time you haven't figured out my second favorite pastime?" He shot a grin to Chavon that made the color rise in her cheeks. "Would you happen to have any Murphy's Stout per chance?"

Chavon's face returned to its normal color and she nodded.

"Maybe I'll see you again sometime Seeley."

Booth watched her walk away and groaned when he caught sight of a butterfly tattoo on her left shoulder as her dark hair moved to the side.

Travis let out a low whistle.

"Fine bit of stuff that one, yah?" Travis waited to receive a response and when he didn't, turned toward Booth. Being the observant person he was, he noticed the tension emanating off the man and decided to address it.

"Something botherin' ya'?" He winked as Chavon set his drink in front of him. Booth felt his blood boil when she gave the redheaded, day-old-stubble wearing agent a warm smile before turning to tend to other customers.

"Is there something wrong?" He ground out, slamming his empty glass onto the counter. Travis stopped mid-gulp and slid his green eyes over to him.

"I, Agent Ferguson, had a bad day…"

"Oh well if thas all."

"No! That's not all. I had a bad day. The kind of day that makes me wish I lived in one of the thirty-eight states in this country that have the death penalty so I could watch the rat bastard that tortures and rapes women for fun, fry like an egg on a griddle." Travis felt a shiver go down his spine as the hostility in Booth's demeanor touched him.

Keeping his temper in check, Travis held up his hands with a friendly grin.

"Listen Seeley, I'm just…"

"And another thing, don't call me Seeley. There are precious few people in this world allowed to call me Seeley, and you aren't one of them, Ferguson." Booth raised a finger and pushed it into Travis' face.

"Now, after a day like I had today all I wanted to do was go out, get a drink and maybe go home with a nice girl. Since you've obviously ruined that plan," he gestured toward Chavon who was leaning over the bar, shamelessly flirting with a half-drunk idiot at the other end. "All I want to do is get plastered, go home and pass out. Neither of those plans include you so I'm really at a loss as to why you're still sitting here."

Travis' eyes flashed and he immediately began cracking his knuckles, his hot temper flaring.

"Listen Booth," Travis said, laying emphasis on his last name, "I like ya' lad, but I suggest you remove your finger from my face if you know what's good for you."

The man's tone was menacing, and had he been in a more cooperative mood, Booth might have listened. Simply shrugged and taken his drink elsewhere. But as it was…Booth was having none of this cocky Agent, and it just so happened he was in the mood to fight.

"Oh yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, "How's this?" He lowered his finger and poked Travis hard in the chest. Booth could have sworn he saw a smile on the other man's lips.

"Right, have it your way then." Travis shrugged, and Booth watched in slight confusing as he tipped his head back and polished off his beer. Then without another word Travis wiped his upper lip and gave a sigh of satisfaction before turning and taking a hard swing at Booth.

The hit came a bit unexpectedly and Booth staggered off his chair. But he quickly regained his footing and stepped into Travis, sending him a right hook followed by a stiff uppercut. Travis, however, was as well a trained agent as Booth and anticipated the moves, dodging and weaving until one unanticipated punch landed on his jaw and sent him careening into a nearby table.

From across the room patrons could hear the glasses clang and when the first table broke and everyone knew what was happening. In no time at all, the entire bar had gathered in a wide circle to watch the two men duke it out. They were rolling amongst the rubble on the floor, fists and feet flying everywhere as two equally matched men both tried to "assert their dominance" over the other.

No one was really certain what happened after that, all anyone knew for sure was that fifteen minutes later Booth and Travis were sitting side-by-side on the curb outside the bar, looking like jigsaw puzzles with a couple of pieces gone. Travis cupped a handful of snow and pressed it to his swollen eye while Booth dabbed at his split lip with the back of his hand.

"Damn man."

"Yeah."

The silence weighed heavily for a minute more before a soft chuckle broke it.

"You're laughing?" Booth asked, now carefully touching his own swollen eye.

"Well, I was just wonderin' something."

"Yeah."

"How didja ever guess my _first_ favorite pastime?"

Booth raised his eyebrows and flexed his sore hand, mimicking what Travis had been doing for the past five minutes. "Which is?"

"Bar fights."

Booth could hear the smile in the other mans voice and couldn't help the one that broke out on his own lips. He took a deep breath and took notice of the fact that his chest seemed just a bit lighter than before.

"It was fun wasn't it?"

He turned to meet grins with his colleague for the fist time.

"For sure. Although I've got to say they're definitely more entertaining when everyone's langered."

Booth chuckled softly. "Yeah. I'm sure I'd agree if I had any idea what that meant." Rising to his feet, he pulled out his keys. "Well, getting plastered is still on tonight's agenda. Care to join me Travis? I've got beer at my place."

The other agent's green eyes lit up at the mention of his given name and beer in the same statement.

"That sounds grand." He stood, brushing off his pants and wincing as he limped toward their cars. "How're we going to explain this to Cullen?" He gestured toward their faces.

Booth shrugged. "We'll say we don't remember."

Travis laughed. "If you're planning on drinking as much as I am, that'll be the truth."

Booth just smiled and shook his head. "I still haven't forgiven you for killing my chances with Chavon by the way."

They each unlocked identical black SUV's parked side by side.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but she was way out of your league my friend."

Booth's laughter could be heard echoing through the parking lot before the engines of two monster cars started and drove away.

---Present---

The doctor pulled off his mask and took a deep breath, handing bloodied tools over to the nurse with a sigh.

"That was too close." He said to no one in particular, though everyone agreed.

Taking one last look at the woman lying on his operation table, he allowed himself a moment of sorrow for what had almost happened.

_But it didn't. The bleeder is under control, everything is fine._ He assured himself.

With a nod of his head, he stepped back.

"Take her to recovery, I hear she's got some family that wants to see her."

**Thought I was going to leave you on the edge didn't you?**


	8. Silence is Never Quiet

**Willigurl: THANKS to all the reviewers and readers and lurkers and everyone else who made this chapter possible... ;P**

He stood outside the hospital room, hesitating. The doctor already warned him that she wasn't going to look good. He explained that the damage from the bullets had been extensive and that it would take quite a while for her to heal.

He ran a hand though his hair and took another deep breath. If he was honest with himself, he was afraid to go in. Afraid to see her body riddled with holes where bullets had been. He should have protected her. He knew that. Now his feet were planted firmly on the ground and yet he couldn't take that tiny step into her room.

_Come on Seeley._ He thought to himself. It's just a couple of steps.

"Excuse me?"

He turned around abruptly and came face to face with a petite blond nurse.

"She's okay. You know that right?" She said, gently touching his shoulder.

He nodded mutely.

"She's a fighter." She said, her voice soft and soothingly calm. "I'm assuming it's you she's fighting for."

"I hope so." He said quietly.

"She's been through a lot." The nurse said. "I'm sure the doctor told you…."

"That she almost died? Yeah." He replied.

"I'm sure you've been through a lot too. But now you have to go in there and be strong for her." She reached over and squeezed his hand. He squeezed it in return, finding an odd connection with this sympathetic nurse. She nodded, giving him one last smile before walking away.

Booth turned to look back at the door, one more deep breath and he took a step forward. Then another and another and suddenly he was inside. The room was eerily silent, the only sound being the steady beeping of the heart monitor. He flicked his eyes over to her bed and released the breath he had been holding in as he gazed over her unmoving body.

She was completely still, her wounds covered by a flimsy hospital gown. Even so, he could still see them underneath, just as they were in the apartment when the blood trickled down her stomach and seeped into her clothes.

Her face, oh god, her face. That was what killed him the most. It was unmoving, so unlike the Temperance he knew whose face spoke volumes. He knew every look; when she was angry, when she was sad, when she felt hurt and tried to hide it.

He would give anything to see the intense and fierce stare she gave when she was determined to solve a case.

Before he realized it, he was at her beside, his fingers tracing her jaw line, along her lips and down her neck. But she still wasn't moving, her expression remained impassive to his touch. He reached out and clutched her hand within his.

"Temperance." He said softly. "Bones, please. I need you to be okay."

She didn't respond, didn't move a muscle.

He shut his eyes and was immediately there, just as he had been the last time, watching her take the first bullet and then the next, her body spasming as it hit the ground. He inhaled quickly and his eyes shot open. He'd tried to protect her and Parker but he'd failed. He didn't think he could ever forgive himself for that.

He thought about Parker, probably sitting in the cafeteria eating ice-cream with Travis. He remembered vividly the way his small body shook with fear from his nightmare, how his small hands had wrapped around his neck so tightly that he felt he couldn't breathe.

"Bones, please." He said. "I need you to wake up because without you…I don't have anyone to argue with…or go to Wong Foo's with at eleven-thirty at night. I need to hold you in my arms and kiss you…and tell you what I have been trying to say since we first started dating. That…I love you. I love you Temperance and that scares me, so it must scare you. But we can do this; you, me and Parker. We are a family, there is nobody who can say different. You've just got to wake up Babe. Please Temperance."

His hand cupped her face and he leaned over to place a soft kiss on her lips. Part of him ached to believe in the fairy tales of old, where the prince would kiss the princess and she would wake up magically from whatever spell she was under.

But this was real life, and as he kissed her she didn't respond, her body continued to be still as the monitor continued it's slow and steady beep. He stood back and sighed dejectedly.

He mulled over what the doctor had said. She was going to be fine, but she was unconscious right now. It was a way for her body to heal itself, he had said. But Booth knew that he couldn't truly believe that she was okay until she was staring at him with those round blue-green eyes of hers.

_Wake up._ He shouted in his head. _Wake up, wake up, wake up!!!_ As minute after minute went by and she sat there unmoving, he began to feel more and more frustrated. If the doctors said she was fine, then she should be fine. But lying in a hospital bed, looking near lifeless, was not fine. He tried to push away images of her dead away from his mind, but all he could see when he shut his eyes was her lying there, covered in blood, Parker's hand on her stomach, the fear in both of their voices.

He moved away, releasing her hand. He couldn't just sit here, he needed to do something. Catch this bastard and make him pay. Anything but sitting and watching her like this. He turned and headed for the door, his footsteps feeling like lead and his heart sinking into his stomach. As he turned the door handle, a noise from behind startled him.

"Booth?"


	9. Taking Care of Business

**_Thanks for all the fab reviews guys, the delay in posting is totally my fault. I get caught up reading and forget I'm supposed to post!! -Hart_**

He had imagined it.

He _had_ imagined it, hadn't he?

Booth couldn't take the chance and practically leapt back over to her bedside. Taking her small, pale hand in his as he leaned down.

"Bones?" He asked tentatively.

After a moment, an agonizing unbearable moment when he couldn't decide whether or not he was insane, she moved. She frowned actually, and Booth felt a little guilty for feeling happy about that. A frown was something, and something was more than what he'd had a moment ago.

He let out the breath he'd been holding and kissed her knuckles softly.

"Temperance." He breathed. "You're back."

Brennan opened her eyes and met his gaze, smiling softly. Of all the things to see when one awoke, she couldn't think of too many things better than Booth's face.

"Hi." Her voice was soft and he had to strain to hear it, but to him, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

Booth grinned and leaned down quickly to kiss her. A long, slow kiss filled with all the anxiety, love and relief he felt just looking into the wide blue oceans of her eyes.

He pulled back so she could breathe, his eyes closed as he allowed his heart beat to return to normal. He had been so worried, worried to the point of being physically sick, and now she was okay. Everything would be okay.

Or at least that was what he liked to believe.

Licking her parched lips, Brennan attempted to sit up.

"No Babe, lay still." Booth watched her wince in pain and gently pushed her back into the bed. "You shouldn't be moving." He hit the call button on the wall, letting the doctor know she was awake.

Brennan's throat burned, it felt as if she hadn't had anything to drink in days. Her eyes roamed the small, sterile room while her hand remained firmly placed between Booth's.

_Chair along the far wall. Nope. Door, most likely to the bathroom. Not yet. Another chair…Booth….AHA! Water._ She spotted the half full glass of water on the table beside her and moved slowly to retrieve it. Booth stood up to help her.

"Here let me…"

"No." She frowned at him, her voice not strong enough to allow her to make an explanation. But then, she didn't see the reason for one. She could get a stupid glass for herself!

Or so she thought. But as her slender fingers closed around the glass and she attempted to lift what was no more than 10oz of liquid, a sharp, searing pain ripped through her body and she gasped. Booth reached out, but it was too late, she dropped the glass, and ended up soaking half the bed and the floor.

Booth didn't fuss over it, didn't even have a chance to react because of the bright shade of red Brennan was turning as she held both her hands over her stomach where the pain was throbbing, blinding.

Throwing her head back, she screwed her eyes shut, vaguely aware of Booth calling for 'a nurse, a doctor, somebody!'.

_It doesn't make sense._ She thought just before she passed out, _A gunshot wound shouldn't hurt this much._

---

Booth sat on a chair next to the bed, his shoulders slumped, one hand laced with Brennan's as she slept peacefully. The doctors said she was fine, upped her morphine and went on their merry way.

Booth could have killed them.

Now he was alone in the room with her, waiting. Rebecca came to get Parker not too long ago. She was very shook up and in true-to-form Rebecca manner, blamed him and his job for Parker being in danger. Booth had wanted to argue, but without something else to go on, he couldn't exactly disagree. He certainly had his fair share of enemies.

Travis was gone, getting some rest before returning to the investigation, and he told Booth he should do the same.

'Get rest!' Booth had scoffed, 'How am I supposed to get some rest with Bones lying on that bed in pain, a terrified son and a killer somewhere out there loose?' He'd exploded at his friend and Travis just took it. He nodded, clapped him on the back and left, nothing but sadness where Booth expected to find resentment in his eyes.

And now here he was. Sitting alone in this room, on his 26th hour awake and, while completely beyond exhausted, nowhere near able to sleep.

He stood again to stretch his legs and looked at all the monitors connected to Brennan's body. They were all beeping evenly and seemed okay, so he took a deep, calming breath. Glancing at Brennan, Booth gently let go of her hand and attempted to massage his own neck muscles, which were like rocks from tense hours spent in the waiting room or here with her. He could feel the pounding behind his eyes and temples where a soft twinge used to be and he cursed the migraine he knew was coming.

The silence was deep and he closed his eyes, attempting to pray and failing. He couldn't even think clear enough to do that. He just hoped God knew what he needed.

_Yeah, I think that's pretty obvious._ Booth glanced down at the bed and gently brushed a lock of hair from Brennan's forehead. This time he was relieved to see her face change ever so slightly, and he wondered if it was just wishful thinking to believe she knew he was there.

---

"Booth?" Angela walked into the room and Booth looked up. Her hair was up in a messy bun, indicative of the rush she'd been in to get home after Booth told her the news.

"How is she?"

Booth sighed and looked at his hand, once again laced with hers.

"She's…okay." He winced, wishing he could say something better than 'okay'. Angela nodded, tear tracks plain on her face as she crossed the room to the other side of the bed. She took Brennan's hand and managed a weak smile for her unconscious friend.

"Parker? How's he?" She didn't lift her eyes and Booth was grateful. Angela's piercing stare would have been too much to handle right then.

"He's…he'll be okay too. He's scared but…well he's with Rebecca so…" Both noticed that he was having trouble completing sentences, but didn't comment. It was obvious that fatigue was wearing heavily on him.

Angela glanced up and saw Booth run a hand across his face, rubbing his eyes roughly.

"And you? How are you?"

Booth's shoulders slumped just a bit more under the question. He remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting straighter in his chair.

"I'm taking care of them." He said, a note of finality in his voice.

Angela studied him a moment longer before turning back to Brennan, nodding.

_Yeah, Booth I know you are. But who will take care of you?_


	10. What Doesn't Kill Us

**Here is the next chap, just one more before the sequel! Thanks again for all the reviews, you power our minds and fingers! -Willgurl**

Brennan was alone in her room for the first time since she had woken up. Angela had dragged Booth off to the cafeteria to force him to eat something, and Zach and Hodgins soon followed. She didn't like it. Sitting in the bed, all of them watching her with pity on their faces. They tried to hide it with smiles and laughter, but it was always there, just under the surface.

She shifted her weight and grimaced. Her entire body throbbed from head to toe and she could feel her heart pounding in every blood vessel. Having lost count of all her symptoms ages ago, she focused on the more prevalent ones.

First of all, there were the two gaping holes in her abdomen. The pain around the wounds felt like a thousand needles stabbing with no chance for relief. Even when she was doped up with morphine, she could still feel them and when she slept she could feel vibrations from the pain.

There were beads of sweat all over her forehead and yet she was shivering, freezing cold. The doctor said that she had developed a small fever and that it was nothing to worry about. Her muscles ached and every movement was a concentrated effort. She had looked jealously around the room; Angela nudging Zach and teasing him, Hodgins wolfing down another pudding, Booth pacing back and forth. She couldn't do any of that, couldn't even lift a glass of water.

She could wiggle her toes but that was pretty much it. Moving her legs in any other way meant shooting pain. Everything was connected to the gunshots, every movement reminded her of them and the complications she'd had during her surgery. It was tiring even to talk for too long. Listening to them try to cheer her up or keep her mind of things or whatever they were doing that clearly wasn't working wasn't much better.

_How you are you supposed to keep your mind off things when you have two holes in your gut?_

She sighed and winced again as she shifted her arm. She was tempted to call the nurse and get more morphine but didn't. She wanted to be strong, show everyone that she wasn't sick. The sooner she did that, the sooner she could go home. She missed it. Her soft bed, her warm comforter, the way Booth's arms wrapped around her pulling her close. She couldn't have any of that anymore.

Instead she had a hospital room. Bathed in grey and sickly pale pink, smelling sterile and dispiriting. She was covered in itchy Salmon coloured blankets and she had the strongest urge to throw them off and scratch her skin. But of course, she couldn't do that either. The pillow she had was completely uncomfortable and of course she didn't have Booth. Yes, he held her hand, but she wanted to be snuggled next to him, listening to his heartbeat in her ear, smiling at the expression he wore in his sleep.

The window in her room looked out into another building, she couldn't even see the sun. Earlier she had heard two nurses talk about how gorgeous it was outside and she almost yelled out in that they 'shouldn't be talking about that when she was stuck in here with no sun, a hard pillow and itchy sheets'.

A single tear of frustration made in a moment of self-pity rolled out the side of her eye and into her hair and she was too tired to brush it away. Her body shivered and was rocked with pain. Biting her lip, she shut her eyes to keep from crying out, reciting elements on the periodic table to herself until it subsided.

Her lips were parched and her throat ached with thirst, but more than that, she realized, she had to go to the bathroom. She looked across the room longingly at the bathroom door. It hadn't occurred to her until the water incident that she wouldn't be able to function the way she used to. Not until her wounds had healed and she had a feeling that might be a while. She even had to use the bathroom with a tube shoved up inside her.

_What is it going to be like when I get out of the hospital?_

She heard voices coming toward the room and groaned in frustration. She was about to solve this problem when they walked in, all happy and smiling and well… walking. There was no way she was doing this with them in the room.

"Hi Sweetie!" Angela said brightly.

She said nothing in response, just cringed in pain as her stomach muscles clenched.

"Hey Babe." Booth said softly, coming over and stroking her cheek. She didn't know what was worse, Angela pretending nothing was wrong or Booth thinking she was going to die right then and there.

"Hi." She said softly.

"So I was thinking we could watch a movie if you're up to it." Angela said. "Jack and Zach had to go back to the lab but I will be here all afternoon so…."

"No." She said firmly, cutting Angela off.

"Okay, well what else…"

"I want you to go." She said quickly, unsure of how much longer she could endure the pain of holding it in. "I just need to be alone."

She saw Angela's face fall. "Oh, okay well can I get you anything?"

Her bladder muscles clenched and pain rocketed through her body.

"No!" she shouted. "I don't want anything. I don't want pudding or movies or you to pretend like everything is okay. I want you to go."

As the tears in Angela's eyes spilled over onto her cheeks, she wiped them away and made her way to the door. Booth was still at her beside.

"You too Booth." Brennan said firmly, not looking at him.

"Temperance, I…"

"Go home, Booth. Get some sleep. I just want to be by myself for a while. I'm fine." She said in a monotone voice. "Go."

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Let me stay." He whispered into her ear.

"No!" she shouted again, her voice choking with tears. "Just go."

Booth backed away from the bed, confusion and hurt written in his eyes as Angela pulled him from the room.

Immediately, Brennan's muscles unclenched, and she filled her catheter bag. All the while, hot, wet tears streamed down her face, her last shred of independence and dignity along with them.


	11. In Need of a Stiff Drink

**_So sorry for the lack of update, totally my fault. Thanks SO much for all the reviews and for sticking with us on this angsty little ride. Well, this part of the fic has come to a close, but the sequel will be posted under my co-author Willgurl's account tomorrow. Enjoy! _**

Angela sighed again, staring at the floor and running her fingers through her hair. Travis glanced sideways at her and checked his watch for the third time in five minutes.

"You don't have to stay you know." Angela gestured toward the bed where Brennan slept peacefully. At least for now she did, but she hadn't slept for more than two hours at a time without being interrupted by some horrendous dream.

Travis gave her a puzzled look.

"Well you keep checking you watch like you've got somewhere else you'd rather be." She snapped. A flicker of a smile moved across his face.

"Well, we got some leads on the shooting and I'm expected to be checking up on results of some of our tests at half twelve, but if I leave Dr. Brennan without protection, Seeley will shoot me between the eyes."

Angela gave him a worried look.

"Oh it's juss a precaution, someone did shoot at them after all. But I'm quite sure it wasn't targeted at Booth, so there's nothing to worry about."

"And yet he still thinks she needs an armed bodyguard." She grumbled, standing to move toward the bed. "Of course that's not unusual. He's very protective, that's for sure."

Travis nodded and added softly, "An' he loves her."

Angela lifted her face to meet his eyes for the first time and she scrutinized what she saw there. Beyond the cocky, self-righteous demeanor and the cool aloof mask of apathy that 'comes with the job', she saw it. The deeply feeling, kindhearted soul of a man who loved his friend very much.

She smiled.

"You single Travis?"

His eyes widened. "Well, yes, but I didn't think you were." He gestured toward the engagement ring on her finger.

"Oh not me silly! But I do have a friend who would _love_ you. Her name's Lindsey and she's…"

"Angela do you have any friends you _don't_ try to marry off?" Booth asked, appearing in the doorway with his cup of coffee from the hospital cafeteria. He'd forgotten how long it'd been since he slept, but with an endless supply of coffee and the clothes Hodgins had brought, he figured it didn't really matter.

Hodgins was beside him giving Angela a look that said he'd failed in convincing the haggard FBI agent to go home. She nodded, smiling at Booth.

"I never said anything about marriage Booth," As she lifted Brennan's left hand, "Should I?"

Booth rolled his eyes and went to sit beside Travis on the couch, aware of, but ignoring the three sets of eyes following his every movement with pity he didn't want, and concern he wasn't accustomed to.

"Where's Zack?"

"Oh, He went back to the lab. He doesn't really get..how to act…in these sorts of…situations." Hodgins answered, moving to stand beside Angela.

Booth merely nodded and sipped his now lukewarm drink. He was beginning to realize that Brennan and Zach were more alike than he had originally thought. Somehow that was both amusing and frightening. He almost smiled at the thought. Almost.

Hodgins reached up and lightly touched Angela's back.

"We should probably head home Baby."

Angela nodded, she was exhausted after a night with Brennan, who slept fitfully at best, and Booth, who argued with every nurse and doctor that came into the room.

She looked back at Brennan, sleeping in a morphine induced calm.

"Sleep tight Sweetie." Angela cupped her friend's pale cheeks for a moment before taking Hodgins' hand and allowing him to lead her to the door.

"Call me if she wakes up, okay FBI?"

Booth smiled, dipping his chin once to acknowledge her. "You got it Squint."

Angela smiled once more and Hodgins nodded at his friend as they disappeared.

There was a moment of silence in the hospital room before Booth broke it with his inevitable question.

"Any leads on the case?"

Travis sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"I'm not supposed to…"

"Travis," Booth snapped, "I don't give a…"

"Alright, I'll tell you."

Booth shut his mouth and waited with all the patience he could muster.

"We're still processing the apartment, not sure when you'll be able to get back in there. Collectin' bullet casings and…we've identified the shooters' gun as a T68 SR." He felt Booth stiffen beside him at mention of the sniper rifle, but continued smoothly.

"Besides yourself and Dr. Brennan here, there were three other casualties with no fatalities so far."

Booth noted he said 'so far' but chose not to entertain what that may or may not have meant.

"It doesn't look like the attack was directly targeting you, the couple above you were both hit as well as one of the people below. Other injuries include lacerations from shattered glass, or just minor bumps and scrapes." Travis rattled off the facts of the case with professional detachment he prided himself on.

Booth was silent for a few minutes while Travis forced himself not to shift nervously in his seat.

"Seeley…"

Booth stood suddenly, tossing his empty coffee cup in the trash, where it joined at least a dozen others. He quickly moved to Brennan's bedside and smoothed some hair off her face gently. He wanted desperately to wake her, but the doctors said the more rest she got, the better. And his best was exactly what he intended to give her.

"What about the shooter?" He asked quietly, his eyes still focused on Brennan.

Travis' face was the picture of concern as he studied his friend and readjusted the leather gun holster on his back, it was cutting straight through his dress shirt and into his flesh.

"Nothing yet. We were able to pin-point where he shot from by backtracking the trajectory of the bullets…"

"The second highest level at the parking garage across the street." Booth said in monotone.

"Yeah…how'd you know that?" Booth didn't answer and Travis quickly realized the stupidity of his question.

"Right, well, we found a small blood pool there and w'er running the DNA through the NCIC database, see if we get any hits."

Booth nodded, turning his dark gaze to the ceiling as he took a deep breath. Travis frowned, leaning forward to speak softer, more urgently.

"You got him Seeley. That's probably what scared 'em off you know, what kept 'em from hurtin' more people." Travis stood and joined Booth beside the bed.

"You really are frustratin' you know that?"

Booth looked at him, life returning to his vacant eyes. "What?"

"You." Travis grinned, tilting his head to one side. "The guy comes out of nowhere and starts shootin' at ya. Amidst all the chaos that ensues you manage to get a hold of a gun, find a defensible position, pin point the shooters location, shoot _and _hit him, all in the dark." He shook his head, "Damn, lad. I'm doing good to get a tie that matches me suit in the mornin'."

Booth finally let out a small laugh and Travis smiled triumphantly. Reaching over, he squeezed Booth's shoulder.

"Seeley-Boy, why don't you get some sleep 'eh?" Booth started to protest but Travis quieted him with a movement of his hand. "I'm not gonna ask ya to leave since I know that would be pointless."

"Well, good to know you're a quick learner there Travis." Booth returned the clap on the shoulder with a tired smile.

"So just take the couch yeh? I promise not to go anywhere."

After a few minutes Booth agreed. Travis stepped out into the hall to call his forensics team and tell them he wouldn't be able to stop in and get the results as soon as he'd hoped, but they could text them to him. Booth stayed inside to have a moment with Brennan.

He thought it was so stupid that the thought of closing his eyes left him with such panic burning in his belly. But when he looked down into her face, tracing her striking features with a trembling hand, he knew it was true.

He was afraid to close his eyes. Afraid that she wouldn't be there when he woke up. Or worse, when he went to sleep. Because he knew beyond a doubt that the nightmare his waking hours had become, would soon seep into his sleep as well.

Travis appeared back inside and Booth ignored his presence, leaning down and kissing Brennan gently. She stirred, but did not wake up and he sighed as he crossed the room to lay down on the couch.

"I'm probably too wired on caffeine to sleep anyway." He assured himself as he lay down.

Travis only quirked an eyebrow, knowing full well Booth had been awake for more than 24 hours straight. "You think so do you?"

"Yeah, because I'm…" He yawned, and never finished his sentence. He was sound asleep.

----

"Who are you?" Brennan opened her eyes and focused them on the strange man with the fire-red hair sitting in the chair beside her bed. Booth's spot.

Travis peeked over his newspaper before smiling and folding it in his lap.

"Well top o' the morning to ya'!" He said cheekily.

Brennan glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's 2 in the afternoon."

Travis paused before continuing. "Seeley said you were literal." He stood and moved closer to the bed.

"Seeley? So Booth knows you're here?" She continued to eye him suspiciously while scanning the room for Booth. Travis pointed to the couch, where Booth still lay on his back, his arm draped across his eyes, mouth parted in heavy breathing.

"I'd say he does."

Brennan relaxed slightly and sat back in bed, pleased to find movement was becoming easier.

"I'm Special Agent Travis Ferguson by the way." He extended his hand, which she shook gently. He caught her gaze falling on the water on the table and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She muttered, curious and apprehensive to whether or not she'd have been able to get it herself, and therefore annoyed and appreciative for his action.

"Special Agent, your FBI too?"

He nodded. "I've known Seeley for years. Way back before he was nice."

Brennan thought a moment about the way Booth liked to threaten serial killers without even blinking twice and engaged in fistfights on a regular basis. She decided 'nice' really wasn't the word she would have used.

"Are you in love with him Dr. Brennan?"

She blinked and nearly choked on her sip of water. "W-what?" She sputtered.

Travis kept his 'strictly business' mask firmly in place and met her gaze evenly.

"Well Seeley said you liked people to be blunt and tell the truth. So I'm being blunt, now tell the truth. Do you love him?" He asked the last part slowly, driving each word home.

She studied the bed sheet for a moment, chewing her bottom lip. Her mind raced with conflicting emotions and her gaze darted around the room before settling on Booth. Booth in his wrinkled shirt and pink and blue polka-dot socks. She smiled, turning her eyes back toward Travis, ready to answer.

But it turned out she didn't have to, for when her icy blue depths meet his jungle green ones, Travis got all the answer he needed.

**---Two Weeks Later---**

The small group waited anxiously in the spacious hospital room. The tension in the air was near visible. The last two weeks had been trying on all of them.

Brennan was more frustrated than ever with her limitations, and suffering from cabin fever big time…although she didn't exactly know what that meant. Booth had nearly been thrown out of the hospital several times for comments and gestures he probably should have kept to himself. Angela was caught in the middle of it all, trying to say and do the right thing in a situation she felt was growing more desperate by the day. And Travis was watching his friend slowly run himself into the ground with work and exhaustion, while his leads in the case went nowhere.

They were all sick and tired and in need of a vacation.

Or at the very least, Travis would have said, 'a stiff drink'.

The door to Brennan's hospital room opened and they all turned to watch Dr. Bandera walk in, clipboard in hand.

He pushed his glasses up on his nose and met the groups' gaze.

Wasting no time, which they were all grateful for, he gave them the verdict.

"Well, I'm happy to report that Dr. Brennan's recovery is coming along nicely. Presuming nothing else happens, she should be released tomorrow."

A collective sigh of relief escaped the small group and Booth squeezed Brennan's hand. She looked at him and felt almost naked under his intense stare. Right then she knew, and so did he, and they would have told each other. If only those three tiny words weren't so...big.

The two exchanged small, shy smiles full of hesitation, apprehension, excitement, joy and fear.

She hoped they were ready for the things to come and the long road to recovery that lay ahead.

He prayed they could make it through together, and in one piece.

**_Check out the Sequel, Broken Hearts are Sometimes Mended, when it goes up tomorrow!_**


End file.
